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Stewps.com. Not that we have anything against them - except that all their foods use a beef stock base.

Why does Quorn have to be so eggy?

I find the basic taste of quorn okay, but always as a base they use eggs and this gives the whole product line a boring sameness both to taste and texture. Yes there are a wide range of products available but always you can taste what is underneath the added tastes.

As an example most lately I tried their Swedish Meatballs. I have always wanted to taste these and ever visit I see them at Ikea and think about breaking my veggie habit... But no... So I try the Quorn equivalent and what do I taste & feel - eggs.

Organics where possible

We find we are making increased use of organic products. But since organic produce always carries a high price-tag we have to be careful about balancing what can and cannot be bought from the organic shelves. Amongst our organic staples, carrots & mushrooms we feel are usually so much better and worth the extra money. Mostly tomatoes also, but sometimes you can get good non-organic ones.

We don't often buy eggs, but when we do they are always organic. Also we love the eggs that our local co-op sells from Hampton Gay so in this case we are buying local as well.

When Morocco is not Morocco

I made a very silken stewp yesterday that went down well with the family, and so I reckon it may be worth blogging on.

The starting point is to boil some red lentils until soft. Whilst these are cooking (say 10 minutes) in another pan, fry a chopped onion, add 2 large chopped courgettes and six chopped carrots. By the time you have the last carrot in you can add the cooked lentils. Top with water to cover, sprinkle a large handful of barley, add around 10 balls of frozen spinach and a generous amount of seasoning. Simmer for an hour and serve.

In my book this recipe is Moroccan in style since the base of this is the kind of stewp I would get from a Moroccan restaurant. The addition of spinach and barley is what adds the silken texture, and I guess that is not Moroccan.

Why veggie?

There are many reasons people "go veggie". My philosophy is to make increasingly better choices each day, sometimes that means making a sea change. The catalyst was around 30 years ago when a lorry overturned and spewed its load of half-living turkeys who looked totally miserable and unable to hardly stand. Essentially not a pleasant site, and one that made us think about the true meaning of Christmas. Added to "reasons" I have psoriatic arthropathy (an illness which looks like psoriasis but works more like arthritis). Anyway one of the "treatments" for arthritis is having a veggie lifestyle.

Having gone veggie we have never looked back, never.

Bangers & Mash in the time it takes to boil & mash potatoes

Since our Sunday will be busy I just made a big meal for two for our Saturday evening. This was Bangers and Mash with all the trimmings. With nearly all our ad-hoc meals the goal is to prepare a decent meal, veggie or vegan, within the time it take to prepare the longest cooking ingredient. The longest cooking in this case is boiling the potatoes.

• Maris Piper potatoes
• Cauldron veggie sausages
• little Olive oil
• Brussel sprouts
• 3 carrots
• 4 field mushrooms
• Soya margarine
  
• dash salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 oz extra mature cheddar cheese
  

To begin take some Maris Piper potatoes, chop and then boil them. Warm your plates on top of the potatoes. Then plop some Cauldron veggie sausages into a frying pan with a little Olive oil and heat through, stirring occasionally. Next peel some Brussel sprouts, cut the base and peel any unwanted leaves. Cut a couple of carrots in half and then quarter lengthways. Steam gently both the carrots and the sprouts in a sealed pan with a touch of water over a steaming tray. Now take around four field mushrooms, quarter them and add to the sausages. The mushrooms will absorb the oil.

Spear the potatoes to check they are done, and when ready strain, reserving the liquid. Then mash potatoes with Soya margarine, a dash of salt, a generous sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper and around 2oz roughly chopped extra mature cheddar cheese. Return to stove and heat gently until cheese is mixed through, stirring carefully.

Serve.

Paskins B&B, Brighton

We just had a couple of days at the seaside (much needed since our home is about as far away from the sea as you can get in England) and stayed at a great B&B in Brighton called Paskins. They are recommended by the Vegetarian Society and justifiably so. Very welcoming and about as much in an English veggie breakfast as is possible.